USDA Issues Order to Expand Logging in National Forests Under Emergency Declaration
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged more attention would be given to proper forest management.
One of my earliest memories of listening to Rush Limbaugh was laughing at his statement, “Trees are crops.”
It was an a-ha moment for me back in the early 1990s.
As our country has experienced numerous wildfires due to poor forestry and land management, I am delighted to report that common sense is returning to resource management.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a major policy shift to expand logging in national forests under an emergency designation.
This directive, issued by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, follows an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at increasing domestic timber production by 25% in response to trade tensions and wildfire risks.
There are 154 national forests covering approximately 188.3 million acres. The most forests are 18 in California.
“Healthy forests require work, and right now, we’re facing a national forest emergency,” Rollins said in a statement. “We have an abundance of timber at high risk of wildfires in our National Forest.
“I am proud to follow the bold leadership of President Trump by empowering forest managers to reduce constraints and minimize the risks of fire, insects, and disease so that we can strengthen American timber industry and further enrich our forests with the resources they need to thrive.”
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a memo on Friday allowing the use of more than 112 million acres of national forests for logging to increase timber production and reduce wildfire risk.https://t.co/N5TbnSG1Lk
— NTD News (@NTDNews) April 6, 2025
In her statement, Rollins acknowledged that more attention would be given to proper forest management.
Rollins stated that the national forests are in crisis due to “uncharacteristically severe wildfires, insect and disease outbreaks, invasive species, and other stressors.”
Those threats—combined with overgrown forests, the growing number of homes in the wildland-urban interface, and decades of rigorous fire suppression—have contributed to a “full-blown wildfire” and “forest health crisis,” according to the memo.
“Healthy forests require work, and right now, we’re facing a national forest emergency,” Rollins said in a statement. “We have an abundance of timber at high risk of wildfires in our National Forests.”
Of course, the Associated Press covered the topic with its usual Trump-hating hysteria, titled its piece “Trump administration rolls back forest protections in bid to ramp up logging.” The article featured eco-activists’ anti-business rantings.
Environmentalists rejected the claim that wildfire protection was driving the changes to forest policy.
In response to the new directive, Forest Service officials at the regional level were told to come up with plans to increase the volume of timber offered by 25% over the next four to five years. In a letter from Acting Associate Chief Chris French, they were also told to identify projects that could receive “categorical exclusions,” which are exemptions from stringent environmental analyses.
“This is all about helping the timber industry,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley of the environmental group Earthjustice. “It’s not looking at what will protect communities. It’s about the number of board feet, the number of trees you are pulling down.”
Rush Limbaugh once said "trees are crops". I wish he were here to see all the developments. @OfficialRushUSA https://t.co/GhNRr3BO9j
— Leslie Eastman ☥ (@Mutnodjmet) April 6, 2025
Personally, I would love to see more American-made wood products…and I am sure a more local supply would cut down on all the costs…especially those associated with rebuilding after wildfires.
One a side-note, Rollins had some fun with CNN’s Jake Tapper this weekend. America is so back, baby.
https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/1908892099145068573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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Comments
Under Rush for sure, but leave the old Forrest’s alone
Like Forrest Whittaker?
DeForest Kelley
Kelley was deforested.
Helen Forrest?
Forest Gump
Quick google tells me 18% of our national forests are “old”, another 45% considered “mature”.
So, yup, we can certainly leave the senior citizen forests mostly alone – although SOME new growth removal and even mature logging to keep access roads and firebreaks operational may be necessary. Leaving them 100% alone is just setting them up to be destroyed by natural or man-made burns later.
The 45% of “mature” forests can safely be harvested as long as we’re careful not to do like the idiots elsewhere like Brazil who do it on the cheap. Don’t harvest every tree in a forest, don’t harvest more then will regrow to maturity by the time rotation gets back to that plot, don’t clearcut huge plots just to save operating expenses, and keep harvested plots small enuf that with natural & man-made replanting your crop will be be back there by the time next harvest time comes around.
In Michigan the Kirtlands warbler almost went extinct because the forests were too old.
Seriously?? You’d rather a small fire turn into a raging inferno than INTELLIGENT Forest Management of the “old Forrest’s”? Hopefully you are being sarcastic with your message and spelling, but if you’re SERIOUS??
I do really hate all of the “emergency” stuff, though. It really does diminish the concept of an emergency, and it sets up the next Dem administration to do all sorts of carp based on “emergencies.”
I just wish they would stop with the emergencies.
No other way, they are stopped by judges
the leftists talk a good game when they want to/need to ( we’ll feed everyone house everyone abort everyone blah blah)
but the maga crowd actually does the work and with common sense
Admittedly, if you abort everyone, it’s much easier to house and feed them.
It’s about time we did something about this.
Over the past century most of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges have been logged – some sections are third generation growth.
The portions not logged are likely very difficult to access. I’ve watched Sikorski skycranes employed to lift huge fir and pine trees felled on steep ravines from the Feather River Canyon.
I forget the proper nomenclature; certain activities are or aren’t allowed on national forests e.g. gold mining like gold dredging or hard rock gold mining, use of off highway vehicles like snowmachines, motorcycles and Jeeps. Some NFs are very restrictive in activities managers deem harmful.
I’m not referring to designated “Wilderness” areas. Those areas are off limits to everything but horses, bicycles and hikers.
As a volunteer I’ve mapped and cut single track trail via USFS permission. (western slope Plumas NF). USFS personnel vary, some were very affable while others were outright hostile (the hydrologist). They even flew a Ranger in to show us how to layout trail.
Trees are crops. We just need to replant what we take.